#CancerRightNow – Real people. Real Stories.
Explore2Cure is dedicated to raising money in memory of his late mother, Elaine Jabbar, in collaboration with Cancer Research UK’s ‘Right Now’ and MacMillan’s ‘Help Make Money One Less Worry’ campaign. Across the UK and the world, Cancer is affecting so many people right now. The aim of these campaigns is to give a truthful insight into the lives of those affected by cancer, to highlight the impact of research on the lives of cancer patients today and to ensure that those affected get the financial help they need to cover the cost of cancer, when they need it.
One in two people will develop cancer at some point in their lives.British Journal of Cancer | 2015.
What is Cancer?
Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce in an uncontrolled way. The cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding health tissue, including organs. Some cancers may eventually spread into other tissues. This process is known as metastasis.
"Cancer is primarily a disease of old age, with more than 60 per cent of all cases diagnosed in people aged over 65. If people live long enough then most will get cancer at some point."Professor Peter Sasieni | Queen Mary University of London
One Vision
To bring forward the day when all cancers are cured
In the 1970s, less than a quarter of people with cancer survived. But thanks to the continued help of supporters, Cancer Research has made vast improvements in clinical research that has helped save millions of lives by discovering new ways to prevent, diagnosis and treat cancer. Over the past century, their researchers have made consistent progress in the fight against cancer, and survival has doubled over the past 40 years – today half will survive. In addition, around half of patients now survive the disease for more than 10 years.
Cancer Research’s ambition is to accelerate progress and see three-quarters of people surviving the disease within the next 20 years.
Four in five people with cancer are £570 a month worse off as a result of their diagnosis.Macmillan Cancer Care
Financial burden
Many people with cancer who are too ill to work apply for Employment and Support Allowance, which provides support to help them deal with the financial shock of a cancer diagnosis. Those who are undergoing most types of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are usually placed in the Support Group of Employment and Support Allowance. But following treatment, thousands of people affected by cancer are placed in the Work-Related Activity Group. These people aren’t well enough to work, and the payments they receive are recognition of this. These payments are hugely important in helping people to deal with the financial shock of a cancer diagnosis. Reducing support for people with cancer who are too ill to work can affect their mental health and ability to recover well from cancer. This means they’re likely to need support for longer. So the cut to ESA, rather than saving money, could actually increase costs in other parts of the system, including the NHS and the overall welfare bill.
Every year 400,000 people with cancer across the UK struggle to pay the bills.